I'll Never Love Again
by misty23y
Summary: How will Stephanie go on when her world comes crashing down. Major character death. Tissue warning. NO HEA. If you don't like reading sad, dark, angsty stories with no light at the end of the tunnel, don't read this story. It's a story that I've wanted to write for awhile only I just found my inspiration. Rated for language only.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: The characters belong to Ms. Evanovich. I'm only borrowing them.**

**Warning: Tissue Warning, no HEA. The story that follows is the one that I've avoided writing for a long time, but I heard this song tonight for the first time, and it inspired me to write this story — character death. I will not be offended if you choose not to read this story. I warn you, very dark. Please don't hate me!**

**I'll Never Love Again**

**Stephanie's POV**

Monday started like any other day. My Carlos woke me up with butterfly kisses down my body, before a couple of rounds of morning lovemaking. We ate breakfast together, courtesy of Ella, sharing our schedules for the day. After a not so quick shower, we both dressed and joined every one of five for the morning meeting. I spent the morning running searches; then I was meeting with the client in the afternoon. I started working full time at Rangeman six months ago, a month after Carlos and I became an official couple. I still chase my skips, but with a competent Rangeman partner.

There was nothing to tell me that today my life as I know it would end. I was out on a client meeting with Lester, who broke his arm in a takedown six weeks before. Until Bobby clears him, he's on office duty, which means that we've been meeting new clients together. While we were in the middle of the meeting, our phones both went off with an emergency code. The minute I saw the code I froze, unable to move, starting to hyperventilate, knowing that whatever we were going to be told was not good news. Lester helped me sit, while he answered his phone.

When he hung up, his blank face faltered, and he wrapped his arms around me, "Beautiful, I'm sorry, I don't want to be the one to tell you, but Carlos was shot. He's in an ambulance on the way to St. Francis, but it doesn't look good. We're going there now."

I dissolved into tears, my spidey sense tells me that I am too late, that Carlos is already gone, taken away from me. Lester lifts me effortlessly, carrying me to my Cayenne, buckling me into the seat as he drives over to St. Francis, even though he is still technically banned from driving with his broken arm. He wasn't even supposed to lift me. When we pull up to St. Francis, Tank is waiting at the entrance. He pulls open the door and lift me, carrying me into the hospital. As we're going, he tells me he doesn't know anything yet, that he's waiting for the doctor to come to speak to him. I see Carl Constanza, Big Dog, Eddie Gazarra, and Joe Morelli in the waiting room. They all look towards Tank and me, and thankfully, keep their distance. We hear the doors from the OR open and watch a grim-faced doctor walk towards us.

"I'm looking for the family of Carlos Manoso." The doctor says.

Tank stands, helping me to my feet as we walk to the doctor with Lester and Bobby flanking me. "This is Stephanie Plum, Mr. Manoso's fiancé."

"Ms. Plum, I'm sorry to inform you that Mr. Manoso didn't make it." I don't know what else the doctor said because, at that moment, my world ended. I watch as the black dots came before my eyes, my legs turn to jelly, as I heard a scream that I think came from me. I felt Bobby's arms come around me as he helped me to the floor because I couldn't move anywhere else. It feels someone is ripping my heart from my chest. It couldn't have been only a few hours ago that Carlos kissed me, telling me not to go crazy as I told him not to get shot. Damn you, Carlos, why didn't you listen to me? You promised me you'd be with me forever, and now you left me behind. Carlos, how will I go on without you? You are my heart, my soul, my love.

I wish I had the opportunity to say goodbye to you. I wish I could have told you once again how much you mean to me, how much you are my life. If I knew that I would never see you again, I would have told you how much you meant to me, how much I love you, how you hold my heart. Bobby is talking to me, trying to calm me down, but I don't want his arms around me. I push him away and feel another set of familiar arms wrap around me, Joe.

"Cupcake, come on up. It'll be okay. I feel Joe put his lips on mine, and I pull away. "I don't want to feel anyone else touching me. I don't want your kiss, Joe, we're over, and have been. I'm damaged goods; I can never give my heart away again because I no longer have it in my chest. God, I don't want to go on, I don't want to live a day without you, Carlos. I know I'll never love again."

I feel a pinch and my body falling.

"Stephanie, dear, Carlos' wake is today. Come one, sweetie; I'll help you get dressed to see Carlos."

I wake to Ella's voice. She helps me out of Carlos' bed, our bed, and into our bathroom. She washes me as if I'm a child. I guess in some ways I am now that I don't have Carlos. She fixes my hair and puts a simple black dress on me with modest black pumps. She gives me a black sweater to wear over it.

"Do you want sunglasses, dear?" she asks.

I nod my head in response. I can't talk, I can't find the words. If I don't say the words, it won't be true, and Carlos will walk into the room calling me "babe" once again. Once dressed, she escorts me to a waiting Lester, who will take me to the garage. I meet up with Bobby and Tank, and we all climb into Tank's Highlander to drive to Stiva's. As usual, Tank gets the prime parking spot.

"Little girl, the wake doesn't start for another twenty minutes. I felt, we felt, that you'd want some time alone with Carlos."

I numbly nodded my head before allowing them to herd me into the funeral home. Once we enter the room, I feel all the breath leave my body as the reality sets in that Carlos is dead. I'm not sure how I did it, but somehow, I'm kneeling before his coffin, looking at his beautiful face, his hair falling perfectly around his head. He looks so young in death, relaxed as if he's without a care in the world.

I think back to the first day that we met. Carlos was ghetto Ranger, as I like to call that persona. He tried to scare me off, but he didn't. Never did I think I would fall so hard, that I would find myself lying in his arms every night and every morning. Now, he's gone, but my world keeps turning. How can I move on without my heart?

I decide to talk to him. "Carlos, why? Why did you leave me behind? You promised me that you'd be home that night, that you'd pick up where we left off. Why did you leave me? My world is over now; my life isn't worth living. I don't want to feel another man touch me. I don't want to feel another fire that isn't started by you. I don't want to have a stranger kiss me, or say someone else's names with my lips. I don't want to give my heart away. My light is gone, you were that light. There is no way I can ever love again. I vow to you, Carlos, that I will never love again. Carlos, I will wait for you to come for me, whenever my time is up, but know that you are it. You have ruined me for all other men, and I don't want anyone else, ever. Damn you, Carlos. I love you. We talked about having a family together, getting married, and now you're gone. My dreams are shattered. You made me want what I never thought I wanted. You made me feel what I never thought I could feel. You loved me, and I love you. Please, come back to me, Carlos, please."

I stand, placing a kiss on his perfect lips, touching his silky hair once more. I take a look at him in his dress uniform, regretting that I never had the opportunity to take it off his body. I try to remember everything I can, knowing that after tonight, I'll never see his face again. I reach into my bag, pulling out the pregnancy test that I took at lunch the day he died, showing that I was pregnant. I placed it under his hands.

"Carlos, I was pregnant. We were having a baby, but the stress of your death stole that child from me. Now, I'm left with nothing of you. Please watch our child. He's with you. I know that it's too early for me to know, but deep down, I know that our child was a boy. Let him know I love him and wish he was born. Goodbye, Carlos my love. I will love you until the day I die. I will think of you every day. I will never forget you, Ricardo Carlos Manoso."

I step away from the coffin, turn around and see Julie enter the room. She runs to me, enveloping me in a hug, "Stephanie, please don't forget about me. I can't lose you and Ranger."

"I won't Julie. I need you as much as you need me."

Carlos' family starts coming in, and I fade to the back corner. I don't want to be seen. I don't want to talk to anyone. I want to crawl into a corner and die so that I can be with my Carlos. The night goes by without me needing to interact with too many people. Somehow, I make it home to Haywood, and into our apartment. I strip my clothes, climb into bed, and hold onto Carlos' pillow. His scent is fading from the pillow. I don't know how I will sleep once it's gone. I dream of Carlos. I dream of our time in Hawaii. Of making love with him all day and all night. I can almost feel him touching me, kissing me, loving me. Before he can give me the mother of all orgasms, he disappears, and I'm to wake up alone.

A few minutes later, Ella knocks on the door and once again helps me dress for the funeral. Ella tries to open the shades, but I don't want the sunlight. My world is nothing but darkness; I don't want the light to shine in, mocking me with its cheerfulness.

Once again, Lester, Bobby, and Tank are my escorts. My Merry Men are all dressed in their dress uniforms, looking good, but I can no longer feel any joy. My Hungarian hormones are no longer working. We arrive at the cemetery and walk to the gravesite. Carlos' parents are already there with the rest of his family. His mother Maria embraces me, telling me that I'm part of the family, not to be a stranger. I sit down in one of the seats set for the family, with Maria on one side and Abuela Rosa on the other. As the military ceremony goes on, I can't cry, I can't feel anything.

I'm numb. It's not until one of the soldiers on duty hands me his flag that the enormity of the situation sets in and I fall apart, clutching the flag against my chest, trying to stop my heart from breaking into a million pieces. Once again, it's Lester who offers me his shoulder to cry on, his arms to support me. Too soon, it's time to leave. I can't make my legs work. I don't want to stand up. Throwing my rose on his coffin will mean that Carlos is gone forever. It will acknowledge what I am trying to deny. It's Julie who helps me stand, who gives me the strength to say goodbye. Once I drop the rose, I can't move. I call out to Lester, who catches me before I can hit the ground.

Eight months later, I'm lying in bed, staring at the ceiling once more. I've lost forty pounds. I am too skinny. I know Bobby is worried about me, but I try to hide my weight loss with bulkier clothes. I haven't been out of the building in three months since Joe cornered me at Pino's trying to get me to marry him once again. I've stopped going down to five three days ago. Ella brings me food, but I don't eat it. I flush it down the toilet or throw it out, but I make her think I ate it. I have no desire to go on. Carlos, please, come back to me. I take the pills I managed to scrounge up over the past two months, prescription pain meds, anti-depressants, and sleeping pills. I know that these should never be mixed, but I plan on mixing them tonight. Today would have been my due date, the day that I would be welcoming our child into the world. Instead, I'm alone, so alone, even though my Merry Men surround me. They've tried to reach me, tried to help me move on, but it isn't working. Nothing they do can take away the pain I feel every day, the pain I feel at not having Carlos. I've been to three different doctors. None of them help. I'm beyond hope, beyond help; I've given up. I take the anti-depressants first, then the pain meds, finally the sleeping pills. I chase it down with a bottle of Tequilla I found hidden in the closet. I close my eyes, beginning to fall asleep.

Suddenly, I hear his voice. "Babe, why? I didn't want to see you so soon."

"I can't live without you, Carlos. I love you. You took my heart when you died."

"I missed you, Querida. Come, I'll show you the Batcave."

"The Batcave is forever, right?"

"Yes, Querida, it's forever. I love you, Babe."

"I love you too, Carlos," I respond.

**Bobby's POV**

"Bobby, I'm telling you, I have a bad feeling. I think she's given up. You need to go check on her." Ella tells me, adamantly. She left dinner on seven two hours ago, and when she went to retrieve the dinner dishes five minutes ago, she said Steph seemed out of it, groggy, more groggy than she should have been. I get Lester and Tank while we head upstairs.

Once we enter the apartment, I know something is wrong. It's too quiet. We walk back into the bedroom, finding Stephanie lying on her back, too still. I check for a pulse, and I don't find one. Lester notices the bottles under the covers and pulls them out.

"Fuck, Oxy, Vicodin, anti-depressants, and sleeping pills. There's a bottle of Tequilla on the floor. I think she took everything."

I search again for a pulse, this time using my stethoscope. "No pulse. Steph's gone. Damn it. I knew we were losing her, but nothing was getting through to her. How will we go on without Stephanie and Ranger? He was our leader, but she was our light. How will we ever love again?" I respond, knowing that Ranger and Stephanie were together once more like they always should have been.

**INLA**

**A/N**: I know! I'm sorry! I did warn you. I used about ten tissues writing this story. I know you all want a HEA, and maybe, if you squint, you'd see one, but I felt that a HEA wouldn't do the song justice. For those that want to know, the song is "I'll Never Love Again" performed by Lady Gaga from A Star is Born. I haven't seen the movie yet, so no spoilers, please. And to clarify, no one but Stephanie knew about her miscarriage. She hid it from everyone. Please review! Once again, SORRY!


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** I decided that Stephanie wouldn't leave without saying goodbye to those she once loved. So, here are her letters. Please review.

**Disclaimer: Everything familiar belongs to Ms. Evanovich. I'm only borrowing them.**

**Tank's POV**

Once the funeral director removes Stephanie's body from seven, we look around the apartment. We see pieces of Carlos and Stephanie sitting around the rooms, pictures of them together, smiling, kissing, and holding each other. The love that they shared was so strong that everyone saw it except the two of them. My heart is breaking that Little Girl didn't think she had anything to live for, but I know that Stephanie has died first, Ranger would have done the same thing. Stephanie made us a family, now we are back to the angry men that we were before we met her. As we are about to lock the apartment until we can go through the Rangeman papers, I notice that the safe is open. I look inside and find a bunch of letters that Stephanie has written. I show them to Bobby and Lester, and we decide to read them all before delivering them. She didn't place them in envelopes or fold them, so I don't think she'll mind. We start from the top and work our way down.

Dear Ella,

I don't know where to begin. You have been more of a mother to me than my flesh and blood, then the woman who birthed me. I wish that you were my mother. I know my life would have been much happier with your support.

For these last few months since Carlos left me, you have done everything in your power to support me, to love me and to give me an opportunity to move on with my life. Unfortunately, I cannot move on. I lost not only the love of my life but my future. I discovered that I was pregnant the morning that Carlos died. That same day, in the middle of the night, I miscarried. I was only about five weeks along, but I lost my piece of Carlos, the part of him that would have allowed me to move on with my life.

I know you tried your hardest to keep Carlos alive in the apartment, washing my clothes with Bulgari, keeping his t-shirts available for me to sleep in, but his scent was missing. Carlos was my other half, my better half. Without him, I'm a nobody. I wish that I had many years left, I wish that you could have helped me raise our child, but the time is past. I have nothing more to live for, no future to plan. I love you, Ella. I hope that one day, you get to be an honorary grandmother to a Rangebaby. I'm sorry I couldn't be the one providing you with that honor.

With Love,

Stephanie XOXO

Dear BLT (Bobby, Lester, Tank),

My dearest brothers, I don't know what I would have done without you, especially in those first few days after Carlos' death. You were my support, my strength, and my brothers. I love each of you and wish that you were my real brothers. I always wanted older brothers, and I'm glad that I met each of you.

Bobby, I know you tried so hard to reach me, to find me help to break me out of my funk, but it is impossible to help someone who has given up all hope. I know that you are a healer. Please don't blame yourself. You did everything you could to try and find me the best therapists, but I didn't want to heal. Healing would mean that I would leave Carlos behind, and I can't leave him behind. He is my other half, and I died with him. Please open your heart to love. You will make a great husband and father one day. If you ever have a daughter, help her to fly. I love you, Bobby Brown.

Lester the Jester, you brightened up so many of my dark days by being you. You always knew what to say to make me smile, but since Carlos left with my heart, I have very little to smile about in my life. I want to think that if things were different, if I never met Carlos, that maybe you and I could have been a couple because you are by far my best friend, the only other man I could ever picture settling down with other than Carlos. I often considered letting you into my heart, but I couldn't. I no longer have a heart. I know Carlos would have approved, but I didn't want to let him go forever. Please stop playing your games and settle down. I would love for you to meet that right woman. You deserve happiness and love. Please don't ever stop being you. I love you, Lester Santos.

Tank, you scared me the most when I first met you. You were so big, silent, and intimidating. Carlos never scared me, but you did. Please don't tell Carlos; I don't think his ego could handle that knock. As I got to know you, I discovered that you are a big teddy bear, all bark but no bite, at least where I was concerned. Please, do not get back together with Lula. She is not the right woman for you. You need someone who is selfless and giving, not someone who is narcissistic and crass. I will miss you, Tank.

So, my BLT, please keep Ranger's memory alive by keeping his company running and growing. I will forever be indebted to you. I love you all!

With Love,

Bomber, Beautiful, Little Girl XOXOXOXOXOXO

Dear Merry Men,

I am so sorry that I wasn't stronger for you. I appreciate everything that you have done for me over the years. Hal, I'm sorry I stunned you. Cal, I'm sorry I broke you, or should I say that my sister broke you. Hector, I'm sorry for shooting your key fob for my apartment.

You men have treated me with more respect and dignity than any other men in my life. I am proud to call you my friends and my brothers. Please find women (or men, as the case may be) to settle down with, to have a family. You deserve happiness, every one of you. You are all my heroes. I will miss you, but I will be happier once I reunite with Carlos in Heaven.

With Love,

The Bombshell Bounty Hunter XOXO

Dearest Julie,

I am sorry to be leaving so soon after your father, but I cannot live without him in my life. You are a wonderful, charming, beautiful young lady. I would have been proud to call you my daughter. Julie, I loved your father very much, and he loved me back. But don't doubt that he loved you as well. You are so much like him. Talking to you made me feel like he was nearby, but then when our conversation ended, he was no longer near me.

Julie, it is not your fault. You father had my heart, my complete heart. Once he left this world, my heart left with him. I want you to honor your father. I want you to do well in school because of something fabulous. If you ever have a son, honor your father by naming your son after him. He would be so proud to have a grandson named after him.

When you find "the one," fight for him. Fight for your right to be a couple. Don't let him get away, don't waste valuable time, because life is too short. You never know when your life will irrevocably change. I love you, Julie.

With Love,

Steph XOXO

To The Burg,

Today, I give you your final piece of gossip in my life. Today, Stephanie Michelle Plum committed suicide by overdosing on prescription drugs. I hope that whoever won the pool down at TPD will have the decency to donate your winnings to a suicide prevention hotline, in my memory. You busybodies, you bigoted, small-minded women are the reason why my life was miserable. You value a life that was the norm in the 1950s, and you cause our daughters to continue to live a life where they measured by their baby birthing skills and cleaning skills. You want your daughters to be slaves to their husbands, who cheat on their wives, dishonoring their vows. I tried to fight against you, but you made me out to be a parasite, a bad person because I wanted more for my life.

Well, now I'll be spending eternity where I belong, in the arms of my beloved, my lover, my life, my soul, and my heart; my Batman and hero, Ricardo Carlos Manoso.

Goodbye,

Stephanie Michelle Plum

Dearest Grandma Mazur,

I'm sorry I'm leaving you, Grandma. You were always my biggest supporter, that is until Carlos came along. I hope that you will live the rest of your life on your terms, and not be held back my your daughter, Helen. Please make sure that Mary Alice escapes my fate. I know that you will not live forever, but find some who will look out for Mary Alice.

Please call my Merry Men if you ever need any help. They will be there for you, don't worry. Grandma, I can't live without Carlos. I don't know why I was so stupid as to deny my feelings for him for so long. We could have had more time together. I'm sorry I'm leaving. Enclosed are my wishes for my wake and funeral. I know you will follow through with my wishes. Please make sure I'm buried with Carlos because I want to Rest in Peace next to my beloved for all of eternity.

I love you, Grandma, and thank you for believing in me.

With Love,

Your Baby Granddaughter Stephanie XOXO

To Helen, Frank, and Valerie,

I know you will all somehow make my death about you, but it has nothing to do with you. I am choosing to leave this world so I can finally be at peace, to be with the only person who has loved me for me. You never did. All I ask of you is that you allow the next generation of Plum women to make their own decisions and choices for their lives. Don't hold back Mary Alice, allow her to fly. Don't make the same mistakes with Val's girls that you made with me. There is more to this world than the Burg. I hope you have a good life.

Steph

Joe Morelli,

You destroyed my childhood when you fingered me in your garage at six. You stole my virginity on the dirty floor of Tasty Pastry. You ruined my reputation by writing about me on the walls of the men's rooms around Trenton. I foolishly still allowed you back in my life.

You have done nothing but ridicule me, put me down, and yell at me. You tried to change me into something that I could never be nor do I want to be. You couldn't let me go. I was started to heal; I was starting to attempt to move on, until you confronted me in Pinos, telling me that I would marry you and be your wife and the mother to your children. That confrontation destroyed the little bit of desire I had left to move on with life. So, I thank you for helping me to see that the only way to be happy is to be with Carlos, in Heaven, for all eternity. I hope your happy, Joe.

Stephanie

My Dearest Beloved, My Batman, My Carlos,

I know that you are dead. I saw your body; I touched your cold lips. I watched they lowered your coffin in the cold, hard ground. When I buried you, I buried my heart with you. I love you, and I miss you so badly. I want nothing than to join you, then to be with you for all eternity. If for some reason that wasn't your body, I'm sorry for leaving you, but I can't live without my soul. I can't live without my heart. I have loved you for years, and I will always love you. You were going to be a father again; we were going to have a baby. I was excited at the prospect of starting a family with you. I was planning on telling you over dinner that night you left me. But I never got a chance, because that skip stole you from me. I'm sorry that we didn't have more time together, but I hope that eternity is enough time, because I am returning to you, my love. For I'll never love again, now that you're gone.

Love,

Babe

As we finish reading Stephanie's letters, with our eyes filled with tears, we all know that there was nothing we could do. Stephanie and Carlos were star-crossed lovers, much like Romeo and Juliet, and Heathcliff and Catherine. Probably more like Heathcliff and Catherine. Yes, I now Wuthering Heights. My mother was an English teacher and that story was her favorite. She forced me to read it. I will never admit it out loud, but I am rather fond of the book. We open a bottle of Tequilla and toast Carlos and Stephanie, hoping that they are together in Heaven. After I take my swag, I look towards the bedroom and I could swear that I saw them walking hand-in-hand down the hallway, and out of the apartment. May you both rest in peace.


	3. Chapter 3

**Lester's POV**

I can't believe Beautiful is gone. Each time I close my eyes I see Steph lying in that bed, defeated and dead. I wish she would have let me in; I wish she understood how much I love her. I would have given her the world. I would have given her everything that Carlos wanted to give her. I would have protected her for the rest of her life. But, I failed. I didn't know that she was in a crevice, stuck and unable to climb out. I watched as her spark left her body. I tried to be there for her, I tried to brighten up her day, but I failed, miserably. Now I will live the rest of my life regretting that I could save Stephanie.

I thought about settling down, starting a family, but all my dreams involved Stephanie as my wife. Now, there will be some faceless imposter. I volunteered to deliver Stephanie's letters, to the correct recipients. First, I deliver the letter to Ella and the rest of the Merry Men. We call in a few contract workers to watch the monitors as the rest of us remember Stephanie in the largest conference room. For a bunch of badass, ex-military mercenaries, we went through a lot of tissues. We all blame ourselves for not being able to save Stephanie when she needed us the most. There's some talk of leaving Trenton, opening up shop in Newark or Philadelphia instead, because now that both Ranger and Stephanie are no longer here, why should we stay? There are too many memories of them in the building and this city. But that decision is for another day.

I visit Steph's grandmother to drop off her letter. She's been living in Stephanie's old apartment for the last year and a half and has been much happier. She reads her granddaughters words, and I see a little bit of her spark die. I don't think that it will be much longer before Edna Mazur joins her granddaughter. I see her read Stephanie's request for the wake and funeral and asks me to help. When I read her request, I know that I, along with her brothers at Rangeman, will make her final wishes come true.

So, it is with Stephanie in mind that we are once again at Stiva's, in the largest room, saying goodbye to someone we love. The entire Burg has shown up, including her sad excuses for parents and sister. Joe Morelli saunters in, acting like the lovelorn fiancé, pretending to be upset. We know what our role is, what we have to do for our sister, for Stephanie, my Beautiful.

The priest enters and gives his blessing to Stephanie's soul. Once the funeral rites are over, he leaves. Edna Mazur stands, and everyone listens.

"Stephanie was a special person since the day she was born. Right from the beginning, she didn't want to conform. She spent her childhood pushing the boundaries, fighting to be the girl she wanted to be. She always wanted to fly, so much so that she jumped off her roof to attempt flight. After she broke her arm, she was sad because she realized that flight was impossible for her. She was treated poorly by many people in her life, people who claimed to love her, but they never did.

"I know the talk around town. The talk is that those men, those thugs at Rangeman killed Stephanie. That if they would have left her alone, not helped her when she was bounty hunting that she would be alive right now. But you couldn't be further from the truth. Stephanie wrote a few letters before she died, and she asks me to have them read to you here so that you will all know how she felt. I have asked her brothers to help me read the letters. Bobby."

Bobby walks to the front of the room and reads the letter addressed to the Burg. By the time he's finished, you could hear a pin drop. I see many of the busybodies glancing around as if they are afraid that they will be struck by lightning if they speak. Next, Tank goes to the front of the room to read the letter addressed to the Plums and Valerie Kloughn. I see Frank look chagrin, taking his responsibility for the fate of his youngest daughter. I also sense the moment that he decides to change, the moment he realizes what he is allowing to happen to Mary Alice. I think there is hope for Frank, but Helen and Valerie have their "Why me?" faces plastered on and are looking for sympathy. Finally, it's my turn. I get to read the letter to the cop.

I finish reading Joe's letter, and he looks like someone slapped him across the face. I watch as many of the eyes and ears of the Burg turn to Joe, and finally see him for the monster he is dressed in fancy clothes. His value has depreciated one hundred fold in five minutes. Finally, Julie, Carlos' daughter reads the letter to her father. For the first time, the Burg understand what Carlos and Stephanie meant to each other, how much they loved each other. For the first time, they feel remorse for their part in this tragedy. Unfortunately, it's too little too late, but us Merry Men get to sleep peacefully knowing that our sister finally stood up for herself. As I watch the funeral home clear out, I can't help but look at Beautiful and say, "Proud of you, Babe."

**INLA**

**A/N:** Okay, okay. The story is over, for real. I want to thank those of you who have been brave enough to read this horrible tale. I've wanted to write this story for a while, but I didn't have the courage or the inspiration to do so. Some many times I tried to kill Ranger or Steph but were unsuccessful. Now, I succeeded. I promise, no more killing of Ranger or Steph, unless they are old, having lived many happy years together.

I would love it if everyone who has read this story could leave a review. I hope I took you on an emotional roller coaster ride.


	4. Chapter 4

**Ella's POV—5 years later**

Five years ago today we said goodbye to our light, our angel, our Stephanie. That day came less than a year after we lost Ranger. Rangeman Trenton has not been the same since those fateful days. Six months after Stephanie's death, the Core Team decided to move our headquarters to Princeton. We were still close enough to handle our Trenton clients, but we're not faced with Stephanie's and Ranger's ghost daily. Don't get me wrong, they are always with us, but we don't see them in the elevator or their empty parking spaces.

Lester took Steph's death the hardest. I know that he loved her, and wished for a future with her. But once she gave her heart to Carlos, no one else stood a chance. We locked the door to the penthouse a week after her funeral and cleared it out two months later. We donated her clothes to a woman's shelter, and any mementos of her life and Carlos' life together were given to Julie. I keep a bottle of Bulgari Green, the scent that Steph loved so much as a way to remember them always.

When Tank cleared out the safe, we found a letter that Carlos wrote to Stephanie. From the wear of the paper, it was a letter she read often. I had Hector scan the letter, and we framed it before placing on the wall of our memorial garden in our new headquarters. It read:

Babe,

Last night you made me the happiest man on Earth when you agreed to become my wife. I never thought the day would come when I would want to be a husband. After Rachel, I vowed to never open my heart again to a woman. But then you entered my life with your crazy, sexy curls, brilliant blue eyes, and sassy personality and swept me off my feet.

I never thought that I was a good enough man for you. I did a lot of things that I'm not proud of in the name of my country. I don't regret doing what I did, but I felt that those deeds blackened my soul too much ever to be redeemed. But, as you weaseled your way into my life, your light vanquished the darkness.

I thought I would never be able to give you a ring, the house, the white picket fence and 2.5 children that I thought you needed. Never, in my wildest imagination, did I think that you would be fine without all of those things. When we agreed to love each other unconditionally, we agreed that we didn't need a title or papers to justify our feelings. Since being with you, having you in my life without the title isn't what I want. I want you to be mine, officially, for the world to know, and if one of my enemies decides to come after you, it will be the last thought he will ever have because I will gladly take him down to protect you, my life. Babe, I want it all with you. The title of Husband, our very own Batcave with a wrought iron gate and security cameras, and not 2.5 children, but as many as you are willing to give me. If that is one child or six, I'll love them and you completely.

So, I am writing this as I watch you sleeping in our bed, your body limp and relaxed as a result of us making love, with your hair spread out like a halo around your head. I want to spend every night with you beside me, in my arms, wrapped around me until the day I take my last breath. Stephanie, you are mine, and I am yours. Te quiero, mi amor.

With Endless Love,

Carlos

The love that they felt for each other was all-encompassing that we know they are together in death.

About eighteen months after Steph died, Bobby met a nurse at the orthopedic office when he accompanied Hal after he broke his arm. They started to date, and he proposed to her five months later. They married quickly and now have two children.

Tank listened to Stephanie and avoided Lula. She tried to get together with him, but he quickly realized it was only for his money, not for love. When we went home to visit his family after Bobby's wedding, he bumped into a girl he knew back in high school. They started dating and are getting married in three months. Tank now runs the Atlanta office, because his fiance wanted to stay close to her South Carolina roots.

Then there's Lester. My poor Lester. He was lost for so long. For the first two years, he spent every night office in bars drowning his sorrows. He was an even bigger player, sometimes bedding two or three different women in one night. Then one day, he happened across a bad car accident on I-95. A tractor-trailer jack-knifed and hit three vehicles. One of the vehicles was Stephanie's friend Mary Lou's husband, Lenny's work van. He died on scene. Lester knew that Mary Lou had three boys and started to stop by to make sure she was okay or to help with chauffeuring the kids to and from practice or school. Mary Lou helped Lester to heal, and in turn, he helped Mary Lou to keep herself together. They started dating a year after Lenny's death and married last month. Mary Lou is six months pregnant with her first daughter. They already agreed to name her Stephanie Carla, in honor of their friends.

The Burg is still the Burg; nothing changed. Mrs. Plum and Mrs. Kloughn continue to sully Stephanie's name while enjoying their "iced tea" more frequently. Albert Kloughn and Mr. Plum managed to contact Valerie's ex-husband, informing him of Valerie and Mrs. Plum treat Mary Alice. He immediately flew to Trenton and sued Valerie for custody. When he arrived, we discovered the truth. Valerie was the one who had an affair with the pool boy. She emptied their accounts and used the money to set up her boy toy in a nice house that she naively thought he would share with her. Once Steve revealed her past, the judge granted him full custody of both Mary Alice and Angie. Albert divorced Valerie, taking his two daughters with him.

Frank Plum died two months after his granddaughters left, of natural causes, in his sleep. Edna Mazur didn't last two months after Stephanie. She blamed herself for not protecting Stephanie from her mother, for not being there for her baby granddaughter, and for feeding the Burg gossip for too many years. She would visit Steph's grave daily until she failed to wake up one morning. She requested that Steph's "friends with the nice packages" be her pall-bearers, and my boys did their job to honor her request.

Bobby allows me to be an honorary grandmother to his kids, and I am already a grandmother to Mary Lou's. I love having the little ones around, but I swear, some days I still can see Steph and Ranger together, looking at their friends, watching over them. I know that they are watching our backs because, since their deaths, there have been no life-threatening injuries to anyone in Trenton. I hope they continue to be our guardian angels for years to come.

**INLA**

**A/N:** Okay, I swear, this is it. I read this story again today and felt that I needed to end it on a high, well, as much of a high as I could get with Ranger and Stephanie still dead. So I added this little chapter to show that life moves on and that our star-crossed lovers were not forgotten. Yes, I cried when I wrote each chapter of this story, and yes, I've cried the three times I read it. I hope that you are crying with me. If Stephanie and Ranger being together in heaven for eternity is your idea of a tiny HEA, then I guess they got it. The ending of Wuthering Heights featured in my mind when writing this story. Thank you to all of you who read the story. Once again, I'm sorry!


End file.
